Showtime: the 63rd Hunger Games (SYOT)
by Taylur
Summary: In the 63rd annual Hunger Games, 24 tributes enter a carnival-themed Arena, prepared to fight to the death. Why a carnival? Because, in the wise words of the Head Gamemaker, a carnival is "anyone's paradise." (SYOT open)


**Piper Marino, Head Gamemaker:**

"Bianca said they have amazing rides!" Elle says to me, her lavender eyes shining. "There's this one ride where you sit in this seat and you get thrown into the air and then you're not in the seat anymore but then you are and then you're coming back to the ground and—"

I shook my head, swiping my finger across the hologram screen to view the next Arena layout, "As fun as that sounds, Elle, mommy is behind on her work," I doubletap the screen to get a closer image of the current Arena, "And if you really want to get those wings when you turn ten, mommy has to keep working."

"It'll be so worth it," Elle nods eagerly while grinning. She leans in over my shoulder, looking at the holograms with me. "Bianca also said they've got tons of food. There's this one thing, they call it cotton candy or somethin', and it's like. . _pure sugar on a stick_!" My daughter squeals, throwing her hands into the air with delight.

_A desert Arena? Who the hell thought of that? _Narrowing my eyes in disgust, I swipe to the next design. "Elle, we can have any food you want. You don't need to go to a carnival for that."

"But do we have _rides_ at home, mommy?" She tries to wink one of her eyes, but ends up closing both of them. Elle, after more winking-attempts, decided to hold down her left eye with her finger.

Even I have to smile at her attempt, "I guess we don't."

"Of course we don't! That means we gotta go to the Capitol Carnival!" and before I could object, she drags me by the arm towards the hovercar, pushes the button to start the engine, and climbs into the back seat.

* * *

"There it is!" Elle points out the window to a large section of cement, crowded with all sorts of rides. One larger ride—a Ferris wheel, the crown jewel of all carnivals— glistens brightly in the sunlight, standing proudly. "The Capitol Carnival! Land, mommy, land!"

As I ease the car towards the ground, Elle mushes her palms and face against the window, murmuring all of her 'ooos' and 'aaaahs'.

The hovercar comes to a stop in a patch of grass near the cement. Elle immediately throws open her door. She jumps up and down near mine, waiting for me to join her.

With my purse and soon-to-be-empty wallet, I step out of the car, taking Elle by the hand. "Now, sweetie, just remember that it costs money to get onto the rides and eat the food. You remember what I said about money? It's—"

"Money is earned by hard work and doesn't grow on trees," Elle mocks me, bobbing her head side to side with each word, "You tell me that everyday. Let's just have fun for once, mommy. Okay?"

I shrug, handing the man dressed in a striped red and white shirt near the entrance of the carnival a handful of coins, "Two tickets please," Elle's grip on my hand tightens as he rips two pieces of paper from a roll of rectangular strips, handing one to me and one to Elle.

As soon as we walk onto the cement, the air became electric with conversations, giggles, squeals, and anticipation. The other citizens all seemed to be happier than usual, most holding a child's hand, though there were some who stood in large groups of adults, holding a bottle in their hand instead of a child.

The snatches of conversation drilled into my ears;

"... I can't believe it's finally here ..."

"... She's been talking about it for ages ..."

"... Rated the top in the Capitol ..."

"... Caesar did an entire show on it ..."

"... I wish it could stay longer ..."

And so on and so on, until we and the swarm of Capitol citizens reach a metal gate. There is even more giggling, screams, and music coming from behind the thirty foot barrier.

For a moment, the gates doesn't open, which results in very confused kids in sprinting positions, aimed towards the wall. Suddenly, a pink ball of... something, catapults over the wall in a flip, landing on a metal platform halfway up the gate.

It is a woman, hardly taller than Elle, with pastel pink curly hair and and a shirt striped with different shades of pink. She wears a small straw hat and pink goggles on her eyes. A white cane is in her hands, which she waves about wildly as she shrilled,

"Welcome to the Capitol Carnival!" She spreads her arms to the side, "I'm Frizzillica, the proud owner of the number one carnival in Panem! You can all call me Fizz."

This earns a loud chorus of, "Hello, Fizz!" Elle is among the chorus, shouting and yelling with all her might.

"Now, I do have a few rules that you all must follow if you wish to remain here," Fizz pulls a piece of candy-pink parchment from her pocket that unrolls over the lip of the platform, all the way down to the cement. The audience let out a collective sigh.

"Rule One!" She holds up one finger, "_FUN_ is the only thing you should all be having!"

"Rule Two!" She adds another digit into the air, "If you ain't havin' _fun_, try harder or get out!"

Fizz scans over the rest of the parchment, then sighs and scratches her head, tossing the paper over her shoulder, "Oh, well. Appears I've forgotten to read. I'm sure the rest of the rules weren't important, right?"

With that, Fizz leaps over the wall, which was now spreading apart, revealing the carnival to the crowd.

"Oh my God!" Elle immediately shrieks. "Look at it, mommy! Look at it!"

And looking at it, I am. It's amazing, really. The sky beyond the gates has been altered to resemble a starry night sky. The only light is that from the stars and the hundreds of rides.

There's the legendary Ferris Wheel, standing proudly off to the side, with nothing else around it as it spins in circles, neon lights blinding. A carousel filled with all sorts of plastic animals rotates in the center.

To the right, a large and thick pole stands at least a hundred feet in the air, with swings attached to the top that trail to the ground. A large and long pirate ship to the left, rocking back and forth. A building with a race track inside, multicolored karts zipping around. Five roller coasters, all different colors, trail around the entire carnival. There's food stands set up every where you look, sugar and grease drifting from them into the air.

It's anyone's paradise.

"Elle?" I squeeze my daughter's hand. "Go sit on that bench for a minute, okay, sweetie? Mommy has to make a call." She's quick to obey, bouncing over and plopping down.

I pull out my hologram-sender, a small grey rectangle with a glowing purple dot in the center. I stand off to the side, leaning against the picket fence, and press the dot. Feeling like a child on a candy rush, I swipe through my contacts list until I reach the 'P's. I press the last one in the section: President di Angelo.

She appears instantly, a small purple hologram of the President standing on the dot. "Yes, Marino?"

I take a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "I have the perfect idea for the Games this year," the President spreads her hands, telling me to go on, "President di Angelo? It's showtime."

* * *

**A/N:**** Yep, another SYOT by Taylur. Some of you might remember me making one called 'Tracks' just a while ago. Unfortunately, I was contacted by someone and was told to remove the story. Sorry about that.**

**Anyway, let's focus on this one, hm? I'm pretty excited about these Games, to be honest. I think you guys will be, too (:**

**All the information is on my profile. Be sure to send your forms through PM, not review. No perfect characters, not first come first serve, blahblahblah. . . **

**May the odds be ever in your favor, and happy submitting c:**


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